India Backs Khan
My Name Is Khan has got huge advance booking across the country. Delhi, UP & East Punjab is equal to the previous biggest opening, which is 3 Idiots. Tickets till Sunday for the entire weekend in the Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) has been sold out. For single screens in West Bengal it has already broken the advance booking record. The advance is on par with '3 Idiots' in all the South territories.
Tweet-- Even as the drama continues to unfold in Mumbai, the rest of the country has given a thumping verdict in support of Shah Rukh Khan, by giving 'My Name is Khan' a resounding advance booking across India.
The film, distributed by Fox Star Studios in India, has got a wide release, with around 1300+ screens. "Initially, the plan was to go wide with around 1100 screens," says Vijay Singh, CEO Fox Star Studios, "but going by the growing interest from exhibitors we have been forced to increase it to around 1300+ screens."
And as of Thursday afternoon, despite the confusion on the opening, the response has been unprecedented, further fuelled by excellent reviews.
According to veteran Delhi-based distributor Sanjay Ghai, from Mukta Arts, "My Name is Khan looks set for the biggest advance ever for a Bollywood movie in the North... Advance booking for the weekend across Delhi, UP & East Punjab is equal to the previous biggest opening, which is 3 Idiots. Tickets till Sunday for the entire weekend in the Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) has been sold out."
"In the East," says one of the leading distributors in West Bengal, Mahendra Soni of Shree Venkatesh Films, "My Name is Khan is being released with the highest number of screens ever released in WB. And the multiplexes are so excited they have programmed the highest number of multiplex shows ever for a Hindi film in WB. For single screens in West Bengal it has already broken the advance booking record of Don, which is the record holder here. And for the multiplexes, advance bookings are on par with the biggest ever, which is 3 Idiots."
According to Swaroop Reddy, CEO of Satyam Cinemas, "The response is excellent in the South. The advance is on par with '3 Idiots' in all the South territories. In Bangalore, there is still a slight fear of disruption, so cinemas are flooded with enquiries but there is a hesitation to block tickets in advance. We expect a lot of footfalls tomorrow for current bookings as the reviews of the film are excellent. It's going to be a packed house for the weekend."
Looks like this weekend is going to be a bumper weekend for the film exhibitors and a feast for cinegoers.